Arrangements for creating delayed electric control effects in response to the reception of electric impulses

ABSTRACT

AN ARRANGEMENT FOR CREATING A DELAYED ELECTRIC CONTROL EFFECT IN RESPONSE TO THE RECEPTION OF AN ELECTRIC IMPULSE COMPRISES A RELAY CHAIN INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF RELAYS CONNECTED SO THAT ON ENERGIZATION OF ANY OF THER RELAYS (EXCEPT FOR THE LAST RELAY OF THE CHAIN) A SUCCEEDING RELAY IS PREPARED FOR BEING ENERGIZED AND RECEIVED VOLTAGE TO ENERGIZE SAID SUCCEEDING RELAY WHEN SUBSEQUENTLY A SWITCH ACTUATOR OPERATES A TIMING SWITCH, THE ELECTRIC IMPULSE ENERGIZING THE FIRST RELAY OF SAID RELAY CHAIN, AND AT LEAST ONE OF THE SUCCEEDING RELAYS HAVING MEANS FOR CREATING THE CONTROL EFFECT WHEN SAID ONE RELAY IS ENERGIZED. THE RELAYS OF THE RELAY CHAIN MAY BE ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAYS OR PHOTOELECTRIC RELAYS.

y 25, 1971 A. SCHMERMUND 3,579,703

ARRANGEMENTS FOR CREATING DELAYED ELECTRIC CONTROL EFFECTS IN RESPONSE TO THE RECEPTION OF ELECTRIC IMPULSES Filed March 5, 1966 INVENTOR ALFRED SCH MERMU ND ATTORNEYS United States Patent US. Cl. 317-124 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An arrangement for creating a delayed electric control effect in response to the reception of an electric impulse comprises a relay chain including a plurality of relays connected so that on energization of any of the relays (except for the last relay of the chain) a succeeding relay is prepared for being energized and receives a voltage to energize said succeeding relay when subsequently a switch actuator operates a timing switch, the electric impulse energizing the first relay of said relay chain, and at least one of the succeeding relays having means for creating the control effect when said one relay is energized. The relays of the relay chain may be electromagnetic relays or photoelectric relays.

The invention relates to arrangements for creating delayed electric control effects in response to the reception of electric impulses.

In some packing machines, for example cigarette packing machines in which blocks or packets of cigarettes pass along a feed path from one handling station to another, it is desirable to provide means for sensing the presence of imperfectly formed blocks or packets, or for sensing the absence of a block or packet in an otherwise regular series thereof, or for sensing wrongly oriented blocks or packets or even for sensing missing or wrongly oriented cigarettes, in order to remedy the fault.

When a faulty condition has been sensed, it is usually inconvenient to take immediate action to correct the faulty condition; instead, it is desirable to delay any corrective action until the faulty block or packet has reached a predetermined position in the feed path or until a conveyor space from which a block or packet is missing is at a predetermined position in the feed path. The imperfect block or packet is then ejected and possibly replaced by a substitute block or packet, or a stand-by block or packet is placed in the conveyor space from which a block or packet is missing.

Usually, on sensing a fault, an electric impulse is created, a delay arrangement being provided for causing a signalling or controlling effect after a predetermined delay time. Such a delay arrangement may be mechanically connected to a shaft of a packing machine so as to rotate therewith, the delay being equal to the time needed for the shaft to rotate through a predetermined angle,'which may be larger than 360. Such delay arrangements have to be built into the packing machine and require additional space which is not always available.

It is an object of the present invention to provide an arrangement for creating a delayed electric control effect in response to the reception of an electric impulse.

It is another object of the invention to provide such an arrangement which may be positieond at any convenient place which, if required, may be remote from the packing machine while only a comparatively small synchronizing device is to be connected or coupled to a shaft of the machine.

The invention consists in an arrangement for creating a 3,579,703. Patented May 25, 1971 delayed electric control effect in response to the reception of an electric impulse, which comprises a relay chain including a plurality of relays connected so that on energization of any of the relays (except for the last relay of the chain) a succeeding relay is prepared for being energized and receives a voltage to energize said succeeding relay when subsequently a switch actuator operates a timing switch, the electric impulse energizing the first delay of said relay chain, and at least one of the succeeding relays having means for creating the control effect when said one relay is energized. The relays of the relay chain may be electromagnetic relays or photo-electric relays.

To make the invention clearly understood reference will now be made to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings which are given by way of example and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a delay arrangement of the invention using electromagnetic relays; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a similar arrangement using light sensitive resistors.

The arrangement of FIG. 1 comprises a plurality of relays, indicated by capital letters A B C D Z. The contacts of each relay are indicated by corresponding small letters and numerals. Thus, relay A has a single contact a1, relay B has two contacts b1 and b2, relay I has three contacts jl, f2 and i3.

A device for synchronizing the operation of the delay arrangement with the operation of a machine to be supervised comprises a cam 1 fixed to a rotatable shaft 2 which may be a shaft of the machine or a shaft geared to a shaft of the machine. A plunger 3 is urged by a spring (not shown) into mechanical contact with the cam 1 and is reciprocatable by the cam 1. An electric switch 4 having two contacts 5 and 6 is urged by a spring (not shown) into mechanical contact with the plunger 3 which operates the switch 4. In the position illustrated, the contact 5 is closed by the switch 4 whereby a terminal 7 is connected to a first conductor '8. When the cam 1 has been rotated so that the plunger 3 is raised under the action of its spring, the contact 5 is opened and the contact 6 is closed by the switch 4 whereby the terminal 7 is disconnected from the first conductor 8 and is connected to a second conductor 9. Thus, the terminal 7 is alternately connected through the switch 4 and the contacts 5 and 6 to the first and second conductors 8 and 9 in dependence on the rotation of the cam 1.

A further conductor 11 is connected to a terminal 12. The terminals 7 and =12 are, in use of the arrangement, connected to a voltage supply source which, preferably, is a direct current voltage supply source. Thus, in one position of the switch 4, the voltage source is connected to the conductors 8 and 11, and in the other position of the switch 4, the voltage source is connected to the conductors 9 and 11.

An electric impulse, the control effect of which is to be delayed by the arrangement is applied between the terminal 12 and a third terminal '13. (The expression control effect shall hereinafter also embrace a significant effect).

Parallel to each of the relays A B C D Z lies a series connection of a resistor 14 and a capacitor 15 so as to render the relays slow opening after de-energization. All the relay contacts of FIG. 1 are initially open. The contact indicated by subscript 1 of each relay has a contact element which is either connected to the conductor 8 or to the conductor 9 so that said contact elements of immediately succeeding relays are connected to different conductors. Thus, one contact element of each of the contacts a, cl are connected to the conductor 8, whereas the corresponding contact elements of the contacts b1 and d1 are connected to the conductor 9. One contact element of each of the contacts "1 is connected to one contact element of the contact 2 of the respective immediately succeeding relay, the other contact element of each of the contacts 1 being connected to the other contact element of the contact 2 of the respective immediately succeeding relay. For example, the two contact elements of the contact b1 of relay B are connected to the two contact elements of the contact 02 of the immediately succeeding relay C, each to one. A terminal of each relay is connected to the further conductor 11. The other terminal of relay A is connected to terminal 13. The other terminal of each of the other relays is connected to that contact element of its own contact 2 which is not directly connected to one of the conductors 8 and 9, so that each contact 2 acts as a self-holding contact for the respective relay.

The arrangement so far described operates as follows:

Assume that all the contacts a1, b1, b2, 01, c2 and so on are open and contacts '6 of switch 4 is closed. The cam 1 is rotating in the direction of the adjacent arrow synchronously with a shaft of the machine to be supervised. A direct current voltage is applied to the terminals 7 and 12, and impulses to be delayed are fed to the terminals 12 and 13.

. When now an impulse reaches the terminals 12 and 13, the relay A is energised and closes its contact a1. Thereby, the next succeeding relay B is connected to the conductor 8 and is energised when the switch 4 opens its contact 6 and closes its contact whereby voltage is applied to the conductor 8. The relay B is energized via terminal 7, switch 4, contact 5, conductor 8, contact a1, relay B, conductor 11, terminal 12. The relay B attracts and closes its contacts b1 and b2. Contact b2 holds the relay B via terminal 7, contact b2, relay B, conductor v11, terminal 12 when relay A is de-energized after the cessation of the impulse and opens its contact a1 after a delay predetermined by the resistor 14 and capacitor 15 of relay A. Contact b1 of relay B connects relay C through its contact 02 to the conductor 9 and thus prepares an energizing circuit for relay C. When the switch 4 on further rotation of the cam 1 closes the contact 6, whereby voltage is applied to the conductor 9 relay C is energized via terminal 7, switch 4, contact 6, conductor 9, contact b1, relay C, conductor 11, terminal 12. The relay C attracts and closes its contacts 01 and 02 before the contacts b1 and b2 are opened owing to the delay caused by the resistor 14 and capacitor 15 of relay B. Contact 02 holds the relay C in a manner similar to that described with reference to contact b2. Relay C thus remains energized after the contacts b1 and b2 have opened. The contact 01 connects the relay D to the conductor '8 so that the relay Dis energised when the switch 4 closes its contact 5 on further rotation of the cam l1. It will be seen that the relays A, B, C, D Z operate successively in dependence on the rhythm in which the switch 4 operates by the cam 1 and plunger 3 closes the contacts 5 and 6 and thereby applies voltage alternately to the conductors 8 and 9. The last relay Z when energized closes through its contact z1 an electric circuit connected to output terminals '16 and 17, said circuit when closed causing a control effect. It will also be seen that the control effect is caused by said circuit after a predetermined delay time in response to an impulse applied to the terminals 12 and 13. -It will be recognized that the delay time is dependent on the number of relays of the relay chain and on the speed of rotation of the cam 1. 'It will further be seen that after an impulse has been applied to the terminals 12 and '13, a next impulse may be applied to the terminals 12 and 13 when switch 4 has opened contact 5 and closed again contact 6. The next impulse thus may be applied before the relay Z has responded to the first impulse. Thereby, a number of electric impulses may simultaneously travel through the chain of relays A, B, C, D in successron.

It is not necessary to feed the impulses to the terminals 12 and 13. Instead, they may be fed direct to any one of the relays. FIG. 1 shows a terminal 18 connected to relay 4 D, and an impulse may be fed to the terminals 18 and 12 to directly energize the relay D and causing the succeeding relays to operate in the manner hereinbefore described. Thereby the delay time required for energizing the re lay Z is shortened.

Furthermore, it is not necessary for the control .circuit to be connected to the output terminals 16 and 17 of the relay Z. Instead, any one of the preceding relays may have an additional, third, contact for connecting a control circuit thereto. Thus, FIG. 1 shows the relay I provided with a contact '3 in addition to its contacts '1 and 2. Auxiliary output terminals 19 and 20 for a control circuit are connected to the contact 13. Thereby, the delay time can be shortened.

The arrangement of FIG. 2 is generally similar to that of FIG. 1 except that the relay means do not comprise electromagnetic relays but comprise photoelectric relays. In FIG. 2, reference numerals starting from 101 indicate the same parts as the corresponding one-digit or two-digit numerals of FIG. 1.

Each photoelectric relay A, B, C, D Z comprises two electric lamps indicated by the corresponding small letters and the numeral 1 or 2, and a light-sensitive resistor indicated by the corresponding small letter with the numeral 3 and arranged in a light-tight chamber shown diagrammatically in broken lines and indicated by a corresponding small letter and the numeral 4. A light-sensitive resistor is a resistor whose resistance is dependent on its illumination. Thus, for example the photoelectric relay B comprises two electric lamps b1 and b2 and a light-sensitive resistor b3, the lamps b1 and b2 and the light-sensitive resistor b3 being enclosed in the light-tight chamber b4. More specifically, for the arrangement of FIG. 2 it has been assumed that each light-sensitive resistor has a high resistance when not illuminated, but has a low resistance when illuminated.

Each lamp indicated by numeral 1 (except for lamp a1) is connected in series with the preceding lamp indicated by numeral 2 and this series connection of lamps 1 and 2 is connected to the conductor 111 and to the lightsensitive resistor indicated by the numeral 3 and corresponding to the lamp 2. For example, lamp b1 is connected in series to lamp a2; the series connection of lamps b1 and a2 is connected to the conductor 111 and to the light-sensitive resistor a3. The light-sensitive resistors 3 are alternately connected to the conductors 108 and 109. The lamp a1 is connected to input terminals 113 and 1113 for receiving incoming impulses. Thus, the light-sensitive resistor a3 is connected to the conductor 108, the lightsensitive resistor b3 is connected to the conductor 109, the light-sensitive resistor c3 is connected to the conductor 108, and so on.

The arrangement of FIG. 2 operates as follows:

A voltage, which may be a direct current voltage or an alternating current voltage, is applied to the terminals 107 and 112. An impulse is fed to the terminals 113 and 1113. Thereby the lamp a1 is lighted and the resistance of the resistor (13 is decreased so that when voltage is applied by the switch 104 to the conductor 108 a current flows from 108 through the resistor a3, the lamps a2 and b1 to the conductor 111. Thereby the resistor b3 is illuminated and its resistance is reduced. When voltage is applied to the conductor 109 by the timing cam 101 and the switch 104, current flows from the conductor 109 through the resistor b3, the lamps b2 and 01 to the conductor 111. The lamps have sufiicient heat inertia so that when the switch 104 switches over from contact to 106 resistor a3 remains sufficiently long illuminated by the lamp a2 to maintain the lamp b1 lighted until lamp b2 is lighted and illuminates the resistor b3, and so on. The last lamp z2 is connected to the conductor 111 through a relay V having a contact v for closing a control circuit connected to terminals 116 and 117. If desired, a rectifier may be provided in series with the relay V if alternating current voltage is placed on the terminals 107 and 112 and the relay V is only responsive to direct current.

Similarly as with the arrangement of FIG. 1 impulses may be applied to any one of the relay arrangements, for example to the terminals 118 in which case the respective relay arrangement I comprises an additional lamp i5 to be illuminated by incoming impulses. Furthermore, a control circuit may be associated with any one of the relay arrangements. For example, the relay arrangement G may have an additional light-sensitive resistor g5 connected through a rectifier 126 and a relay W to the terminals 107 and 112. The relay W has a contact wl for operating a control circuit connected to terminals 119 and 120.

Further modifications and refinements are possible. For example, the electromagnetic relays may be microrelays and, thus, may be kept small. The rectifiers 126 and 125 of FIG. 2 may be omitted if a direct current voltage is applied to the terminals 107 and 112, or if the relays V and W are capable of responding to alternating currents.

It should be clearly understood that the embodiments hereinbefore described are given only by way of example. Modifications, omissions and additions are possible without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claim:

1. An arrangement for creating a delayed electric control effect in response to the reception of an electric impulse, comprising a timing switch, a switch actuator for operaitng said timing switch, a relay chain including a plurality of relays, means electrically connecting said relays, relay contacts, said connecting means and relay contacts being arranged for preparing a succeeding relay for being energized on energization of any of the said relays (except for the last relay of said relay chain), said succeeding relay receiving an energizing voltage when subsequently said switch actuator operates said timing switch, means for receiving said electric impulse and feeding it to the first relay of said relay chain to energize said first relay, and means operable by the last relay of said relay chain for creating said control elfect when said last relay is energized.

2. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein said actuator comprises a rotatable cam for operating said timing switch at intervals depending on the speed of rotation of said cam.

3. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, and further comprising additional means operable by one of the relays of said relay chain other than said first and said last relays for creating a control eifect when said one relay is energized. 4. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, and further comprising additional means for receiving said electric impulse and feeding it to one of the relays of said relay chain other than said first and said last relay to energize said one relay.

5. An arrangement as defined in claim 2 and further comprising two conductors connected to said timing switch for alternately receiving voltage on operation of said timing switch by said cam, the relays of said relay chain being connectable to said conductors, so that odd relays of said chain are energizable through one of said conductors and even relays of said chain are energizable through the other one of said conductors.

6. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the relays of said relay chain are electromagnetic slow acting relays.

7. An arrangement as defined in claim 1, wherein the relays of said relay chain are photo-electric relays, each comprising a light-sensitive resistor and two lamps each arranged for illuminating said resistor, one of said two lamps of each relay other than the first relay of said relay chain being connected in series with a lamp of the preceding relay, the other one of said two lamps of each relay other than the last relay of said relay chain being connected to a lamp of the next following relay.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,888,665 5/1959 Haggadone 317-X 3,213,283 10/ 1965 Beeftink et a1. 250-209 3,215,845 11/ 1965 Solomon et a1 250-209 3,234,391 2/1966 Te Uelde 250209 3,340,465 9/ 1967 Clark 317-140X 3,355,577 11/ 1967 Heuer 317-140X JOHN F. COUCH, Primary Examiner R. V. LUPO, Assistant Examiner 

